1
as in misrepresents
to give a misleading impression of
his bright smile belied his actual mood, which was really one of great sadness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in refutes
to prove to be false
the latest information belies the old theory
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in conceals
to keep secret or shut off from view
the security council issued false assurances that belied the true gravity of the situation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of belies
First, Alcaraz beat Alexander Zverev in five sets – 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (3-7), 6-7 (4-7), 7-5 – after five hours and 27 minutes on court, but even that long scoreline belies the drama of a semifinal that demanded so much from both players.
—
Ben Church, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
His unassuming demeanor belies the fact that his generations-spanning music has been lauded by The New York Times and Billboard.
—Deasia Paige, AJC.com, 30 Jan. 2026
There’s a casual, authoritative swing to their performance that belies the stylistic range on the record; the songs touch upon different traditions, yet all sound of a piece.
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 26 Jan. 2026
But his football knowledge belies his age.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
But Avatar's box office dominance belies a concerning set of stats for anyone invested in the future of the franchise.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Jan. 2026
Bam Adebayo said there is a maturity there that belies Jakucionis’ youth.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2026
Indeed, their body language and working relationship belies nothing of the boorish, antagonistic dynamic between Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose enmity risked lives (as when Cuomo held up a mass Covid vaccine site in New York due to his beef with de Blasio).
—Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
Egg’s plucky insolence belies his puny size, a comedic contrast with Claffey’s ex-rugby player physique, and perhaps his seemingly humble origins as well.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 13 Jan. 2026
Ben Church, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
His unassuming demeanor belies the fact that his generations-spanning music has been lauded by The New York Times and Billboard.
—Deasia Paige, AJC.com, 30 Jan. 2026
There’s a casual, authoritative swing to their performance that belies the stylistic range on the record; the songs touch upon different traditions, yet all sound of a piece.
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 26 Jan. 2026
But his football knowledge belies his age.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
But Avatar's box office dominance belies a concerning set of stats for anyone invested in the future of the franchise.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Jan. 2026
Bam Adebayo said there is a maturity there that belies Jakucionis’ youth.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2026
Indeed, their body language and working relationship belies nothing of the boorish, antagonistic dynamic between Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose enmity risked lives (as when Cuomo held up a mass Covid vaccine site in New York due to his beef with de Blasio).
—Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
Egg’s plucky insolence belies his puny size, a comedic contrast with Claffey’s ex-rugby player physique, and perhaps his seemingly humble origins as well.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belies
Verb
-
Following a misleading report on hospital finances, The Denver Post published an editorial that misrepresents UCHealth’s role in caring for Colorado patients and misstates key facts about our financial operations.—
Elizabeth B. Concordia,
Denver Post,
29 Dec. 2025
-
The Washington Post is currently pioneering the field of AI slop podcasts, allowing users to generate audio content that, according to staffers, is full of errors and misrepresents articles by the newspaper’s actual reporters.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
14 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The clear video evidence starkly refutes the party line.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Jan. 2026
-
That statement alone refutes claims that IHRA is meant to silence debate.—
David Moore,
New York Daily News,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The wooden bench includes a removable lid that conceals additional storage space.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Sophie attends the Bridgertons’ lavish bash in secret, donning a glittering silver gown and a matching face mask that conceals her true identity as a housemaid from the rest of the ton.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The chaos and controversy obscures positive developments that are occurring in Broward schools every day.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Amarnath told Fortune the political rhetoric around reshoring often obscures the reality facing manufacturers operating in the present tense.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
That’s why scrolling by date and scrubbing through videos still works — search hides uncertainty, scrolling shows everything.—
Ken Colburn,
AZCentral.com,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The one is Sohni Ammi, her feisty mother-in-law, whose sharp tongue hides a big heart, while the other is Bholi, a quiet and wise neighbor.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Belies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belies. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
